The costs of shipping and displaying small retail products that are normally sold in supermarkets, drugstores and similar retail operations are a significant part of the overall cost of merchandising such products. For that reason, there is a constant need to provide improved means for shipping and displaying such small items as candy and the like. Usually, such items are shipped in paperboard cartons.
In the past, cartons have been designed for both shipping and display purposes. However, these cartons have had a variety of limitations which adversely affect their function for shipping or display, or both. For example, shipping cartons which consist essentially of rectangular paperboard cartons having a selective arrangement of dividers within the container to be reassembled after shipment for display with a sign have been known for some time. Some of these cartons are complicated to manufacture and, therefore, are costly, while others are not sufficiently sturdy to support and contain significant weight during shipment. Others have significant limitations which inhibit use on pallets and limit the ability to properly handle the containers during shipment. When such containers are designed to hold several different products, it has been necessary to assemble the products from different sections of the factory and then transfer them to the container.
Many off-shelf display containers have required difficult or time-consuming assembly procedures. When such assembly procedures are required, the retailer's profit is reduced or the product is not selected for sale by the retailer. To insure use of off-shelf displays by the retailer, the manufacturer has often been required to have a direct sales force to promote and set up such displays.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved shipping and display containers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping and display container having a plurality of sections for display of different merchandise types.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping and display container having a plurality of easily removable front panels for display of and access to the merchandise.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping and display container having a plurality of easily removable front panels for display of merchandise and a top display section which is accessed by removal of a top cover.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping and display container which is converted from a shipping container to a display container with a minimum of effort.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping and display container having a plurality of individual boxes held in position by a paperboard wrapper.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel shipping and display container having a combination of features which reduce the cost and effort associated with the shipping, handling and display of small items.